Elyse Gates
Something was different.
The air felt lighter. The sky was obnoxiously blue. Even the drive to school didn't totally suck. I hadn't even said the words "I forgive you," not really. But something about sitting in Jordan's room, telling the truth without burning it all down—it helped. A pressure valve I hadn't realized was ready to blow had finally, finally released.
Kaylie walked me to my locker, looked into my eyes and squinted suspiciously. "Okay, what's with you?"
I blinked. "What?"
"You're smiling," Harper chimed in from behind me, balancing a protein bar and iced coffee like it was a talent. "And not in a sarcastic, about-to-ruin-someone's-life kind of way. Like an actual human smile."
"I smile," I said, pretending to be offended.
Kaylie crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah, but usually it means someone's about to regret their choices."
I rolled my eyes. "I just… had a good night." Harper blinked. "Like a study night?"
"No."
Kaylie gasped. "Wait. Is this—did something happen with him?" I shrugged. "Maybe."
Harper choked on her coffee. "Maybe?" Harper stepped closer. "Okay, Elyse, spill. Did he finally grovel enough? Or did you just give in to his sad eyes and tragic 'I'm-sorry-I'm-a-walking-mistake' vibes?"
"He left me a voicemail," I said quietly. "And it was… real. And then I might've climbed the tree."
"You climbed the tree?" Kaylie asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah."
Kaylie looked stunned for a second, then broke into a grin. "God, you two are exhausting. But fine. I'll admit it. I'm kind of proud."
"Don't get used to it," I muttered, but I was smiling. Kaylie pulled out her phone as we started walking. "What are you doing?" I asked, suspicious. She just grinned and wiggled her brows. "Nothing."
~~~~
Jordan Gallagher
My phone buzzed under the table during first period.
I slid it out of my hoodie pocket and nearly dropped it when I saw the name on the screen.
Kaylie:
u win. don't screw it up. she smiled today. good job.
I blinked. Then read it again.
I didn't know whether to laugh or panic, but I texted back:
Me:
still terrified but also kinda...floating? tell her thanks for not launching me off the roof.
Kaylie:
she did think about it.
Fair.
I glanced out the window, heart doing something stupid and fluttery. She smiled today. Maybe she wasn't mine. Not yet. But maybe I hadn't lost her either.
~~~~
Jordan Gallagher
It started in first period.
Kepler gave us a group worksheet, and of course, Elyse and I got paired again. I wasn't sure if it was fate, divine punishment, or just alphabetical seating, but there we were.
Same table. Same elbows almost-touching. Same air we pretended wasn't charged.
"Try not to mess this up," she said, flipping her pen between her fingers.
"I only mess things up on purpose now," I replied casually. "Keeps life exciting."
She arched a brow. "Your life must be a walking disaster." I smirked. "Only since you walked into it." That earned me a look. Not quite deadly, but sharp enough to draw blood. "I could finish this entire worksheet without you," she said. "Then do it," I challenged. "I'd love to watch you carry my dead academic weight."
"You're insufferable."
"You're glowing today."
She froze for half a second—just enough that I caught it.
Someone at the table next to us leaned over. "Wait… are you two fighting... or flirting?"
Elyse didn't miss a beat. "What's the difference?" I gave her a grin. "In our case? Timing." The table laughed. She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck—but her mouth twitched like she was trying not to smile.
We finished the worksheet. Barely. Mostly because she got annoyed with how I kept doodling in the margins and finished the whole thing herself.
Whatever. Worth it.
~~~~
Jordan Gallagher
I was half-asleep at my desk, staring at the same math problem for twenty minutes, when my phone buzzed.
Elyse:Your window's open
I stared at the screen. What?
I got up, confused, and crossed the room. My window was open. Just a crack.
I typed back.
Me:are you stalking my window now?? this is reverse rom-com energy
Elyse:Don't flatter yourself.I'm just walking by. Your light's on. And you left it open.Vulnerability is leaking out.
I leaned out the window and sure enough—there she was. Hoodie on. Hands in her pockets. Looking up at me like it wasn't weird at all. A faint smile played on her lips.
"You know," I said, "most people knock on doors."
"Most people don't leave metaphorical invitations hanging from their second story."
I laughed, then leaned my arms on the windowsill.
"Wanna come up?" I asked, mostly teasing. She shook her head. "Already did that once. Not making a habit of it."
"Fair."
Silence stretched. Not awkward. Just… quiet. Like we were both listening for something else. Then she said, "Today in class—was that fighting or flirting?" I smiled slowly. "What do you think?"
"I think," she said carefully, "you're still annoying."
"But charmingly so."
She exhaled a laugh. "Don't push it."
"I like when we're like that," I said. "The almost-fighting. You push back."
"I always push back."
"Yeah," I said. "But lately… it's felt like you're not sure if I'm worth pushing back for."
She looked up at me, eyes shadowed by the porch light. "You're starting to be."
And then she turned.
"Good night, Jordan."
"Night, shortcake."
She disappeared down the sidewalk, just like that. But for the first time, I didn't feel like she was walking away.
I felt like she might come back.
~~~~
Elyse Gates
The next morning, I didn't even pretend to be mad.
I didn't snap at Kaylie when she drank the last of the milk. I didn't curse out the weather app when it said it might rain. I even—God help me—put in extra effort with my outfit. I studied myself in my full length mirror. I wore fitted jeans, with a light pink sweater tucked in at one side, and my light colored Vans. I smoothed my hair before I walked out to my car.
I told myself it wasn't because of him. That I just felt better in general. But I knew that was a lie the second I walked into chem class and felt him look at me.
Like always, he was already in his seat, leaning back like he owned the air around him. Hoodie sleeves pushed up. Sketchbook open. He glanced up. Met my eyes. And smiled.
Not the smug, I'm-winning kind. The soft, steady kind. Like he knew something I hadn't said yet. I sat next to him like it was normal. Like we weren't toeing the edge of something new.
"Morning," he said, almost careful.
"Hey," I replied, flipping open my notebook. "Did you actually finish the lab prep?" He tilted his head. "I did half. I figured I'd let you carry my academic weight again."
I rolled my eyes. "So generous of you." His grin widened. "See, this is what I missed. The sarcasm. The light roasting."
"You just missed having someone tolerate you."
"Wrong," he said. "I missed you tolerating me." I didn't answer. But I didn't look away either.
Mr. Kepler started class, droning on about ionic compounds. I half-listened, half-watched Jordan out of the corner of my eye as he doodled a tiny cartoon version of our chemistry teacher holding a sword made of periodic tables.
At some point, I found myself smiling. Not because of anything specific. Just... because.
And when class ended, he didn't say anything. He just tore the page from his sketchbook and slid it into my notebook.
One word was written under the drawing: spark.
~~~~
Kaylie plopped onto the bench next to me. "Okay, I need to know why you're practically beaming today."
"I'm not."
"You are. You've got the look."
"What look?"
"The 'he texted back and it wasn't a dry 'lol' look." I shook my head, biting back a smile. "You're so dramatic." Harper sat across from us and raised her brows. "She climbed the damn tree, Kaylie. Let her live."
"I didn't say I wasn't happy!" Kaylie said, raising her hands. Then she leaned in. "Just… be careful. But also? I saw the way he looked at you today. If he screws this up, I'll hit him with a baseball bat."
"I think," I said, picking at my sandwich, "I don't want to be careful anymore."
They both went quiet.
Then Kaylie said, softly, "Good. You deserve something that makes you want to stop being scared."
And for once—I believed her.
~~~~
I was about to close my bedroom window when I caught movement in Jordan's room.
Jordan—leaning out of his open window, one hand gripping the frame like he wasn't sure if he was daring or desperate.
"Hey," he called softly, eyes scanning the space between our houses. I hesitated. My heart was thudding way too fast. "You still awake?" he asked, voice low enough that I almost thought I imagined it. I blinked and pulled my window fully open. "Yeah. What's up?"
He shrugged, a little awkward. "I know things are weird. But, uh… if you want, you could come over. We don't have to talk about anything heavy. Just hang out. Maybe figure out how to be… whatever this is."
I bit my lip, then nodded.
Within minutes, I was crossing the tree, my breath visible in the cool night air. When I crossed the last branch, he was already waiting, a small smile tugging at his lips, and his hand outstretched for me. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me into his room.
"Glad you came," he said, and I believed him.
Inside, the familiar clutter of his room felt like a quiet invitation. He closed the window behind me, the space suddenly too small to hold all the things left unsaid.
The night was heavy with silence, the kind that settles right after a storm you didn't see coming.
We sat on opposite sides of his bed, the space between us suddenly feeling like the Atlantic Ocean. The room felt smaller somehow—like the air itself was thickening, wrapping around us and pulling us closer despite the space between the edges of the bed.
Jordan's eyes were darker now, shadows pooling in their depths. He shifted closer, just a breath away, but not quite crossing the line. My pulse thundered in my ears, every nerve ending screaming in warning and desire all at once.
"I just don't get it," I whispered, my voice shaky, barely loud enough for him alone. "How do we go back? To being… normal? Friends?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe we don't," he said, low and rough, voice thick with something I couldn't quite name.
The space between us disappeared in a heartbeat when he leaned in, his breath warm against my cheek. His hand lifted slowly, tracing a featherlight line along my jaw, the touch so soft it was almost cruel.
My lips parted on a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, eyes fluttering shut as the world narrowed down to just the heat of him and the steady beat of my heart. He raised his hand and brushed a stray lock behind my ear.
For a moment, it was like the whole universe had paused—just us, suspended in a fragile silence that buzzed electric beneath our skin.
And then—
The window creaked from across the tree.
We both jumped.
"Hey, El? You coming down soon?" Kaylie's voice cut through the quiet, bright and impossibly oblivious.
The moment shattered like glass.
Jordan pulled back with a nervous laugh, running a hand over his face like he'd just escaped drowning.
"Yeah," I breathed out. "I'll be down in a sec."
I stayed still for a moment, breath trembling, fingers tingling where his had touched.
"Friends," I murmured, but the word felt heavy and complicated.
He nodded, but his eyes held storms—unspoken promises and questions I wasn't sure I was ready to face.